New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulated him in his reelection.
“Conveying his compliments on Putin’s success, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that under Putin’s leadership, the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and the Russian Federation will continue to grow from strength to strength,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
“The Prime Minister also stated that he looked forward to welcoming President Putin in India for the annual summit later this year,” it added.
“President Putin thanked the Prime Minister for the phone call. He conveyed his commitment to further strengthen India-Russia relations in all spheres, and also his good wishes for the continued progress of India and her people.”
Russian voters gave Putin a resounding approval for a fourth term as President, with figures from the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Monday showing him winning with 76.68 per cent of the vote, his highest score ever, despite opposition activists highlighting a number of cases of vote rigging.
Almost 55.5 million voters supported his candidacy in the election that took place on Sunday paving the way for Putin, 65, to lead the country until 2024 after which he is constitutionally obliged to stand down, Sputnik news agency reported.